The Big Indie Playlist: The best new music of the week
Another week gone, and what a week it has been. Not only did we see the England football team pull off a win despite playing terribly for the first 70 minutes, but we have also been blessed with a boatload of incredible new releases, the greatest of which will be covered here, in the Big Indie Playlist.
If you missed last week’s instalment of the playlist, Brighton’s up-and-coming dance punk heroes Lemonsuckr stepped in to give a storming selection of their recent listening habits, while the likes of PJ Harvey, Yard Act, and even the Martha Reeves boasted some of the best tracks from across the week. This week, we’re flying solo without the aid of Lemonsuckr, but the onslaught of new music has certainly not ceased.
In addition to old-school heroes like Dinosaur Jr making an unanticipated return, it has also been a particularly good week so far as the current crop of British independent artists are concerned. Mary In The Junkyard, Westside Cowboy and Adult DVD all form highlights of this week’s listening with their respective new singles, while Dublin’s Gurriers continue to fly the flag for confrontational Irish post-punk, and Canada’s Wine Lips reaffirm their position at the forefront of 2020s garage psychedelia.
As is typically the case when it comes to the Big Indie Playlist, this week boasts something for every kind of music consumption, whether you’re after experimental jazz, gentle folk Americana, or a thrashing punk anthem to blow the cobwebs from your ear canals, we even have some pounding dance music to keep you awake until the early hours of the morning – something that might come in handy for England’s one o’clock kick-off time on Monday.
So, without delay, join us as we dive into the greatest releases from across this glorious week of new music.
Must-hear: The best new singles of the week
Dinosaur Jr – ‘Several Got Away’: There is always a worry when alt-rock titans of the stature of Dinosaur Jr return to the airwaves, but this new single by the stalwarts of 1980s and 1990s alternative rock is adept at toeing the line between old and new; appeasing the band’s pre-existing cult audience while J Mascis’ songwriting continues to drive the band forward into a new era. [4/5]
Wine Lips – ‘Projector’: A blistering new single taken from their upcoming LP, TV Dinner, Toronto’s Wine Lips continue their reputation for adrenaline-fueled garage rock and roll excellence with this blistering track; a return to upbeat DIY excellence that more groups should take heed of. [4/5]
Westside Cowboy – ‘Pin Up Boys’: If you have missed the recent discourse surrounding Westside Cowboy, then you must have made quite an effort to do so. The Mancunian outfit are among the most talked-out up-and-upcoming groups in the country at the moment, and this new track taken from their forthcoming debut album acts as a good indicator of why that is. Adept at building tension and intensity, ‘Pin Up Boys’ is a perfect introduction to the band that is on everyone’s lips at the moment. [3.5/5]
Gurriers – ‘Party Lines’: Politically-charged punk aggression inspired by the ever-intensifying war in Sudan, Dublin’s Gurriers continue to demonstrate their ability to create infectious, driving dance-punk anthems as a means of exercising their fury at the political establishments around them; another incredibly promising track to come from the hotly-anticipated LP, Nobody’s Coming To Save You. [4.5/5]
Adult DVD – ‘Cowboy on Aisle Three’: Keeping the dance-heavy energy going, Leeds-based Adult DVD build excitement for their long-awaited full-length debut with this brilliant blend of post-punk aggression and music designed for sweaty, moving rooms – capturing the sound that has made Adult DVD a must-see live act over the course of recent years. [4/5]
Mary In The Junkyard – ‘Blood’: Along with their debut record Role Model Hermit, London’s Mary In The Junkyard – another band that seem to be endlessly discussed within independent music circles – released ‘Blood’ as a single this week, exemplifying their knack for creating gentle, laidback indie tracks which are nonetheless enchanting in their ethereal nature. [4/5]
7ebra – ‘Magical Thinking’: Swedish twin sisters 7ebra delve into the throes of existential worry, flanked by a drum machine, beautiful vocals, and a serene soundscape that places those vocals firmly at the forefront. Taken from How To Land a Plane, due out in September, the single certainly marks the pair out as ones to keep an eye on this year. [4/5]
Sibille Attar – ‘KL + SA’: Another magnificent release to emerge from the airwaves of Sweden this week, this indie-pop-centric effort comes from the romantic plight of Sibille Attar and gives a glimpse at the sound of the new LP, Amor Fati, set for release towards the tail-end of the summer months. [3/5]
Wealthy Woman – ‘Shit Breaks’: A dark, gritty exploration of domestic violence and the shifting sands of American society, Wealthy Woman manage to toe the line between harrowing lyricism and strong, fittingly dark instrumentation, built around a particularly compelling bassline courtesy of Don Doblados. [3.5/5]
Tokyo Tea Room – ‘All Night’: Alongside the announcement of a new album from Margate dream pop experts Tokyo Tea Room, the band unleashed this spaced-out, well-crafted track with the emphasis on pop rather than dream; a fitting soundtrack for summer months spent in the sunshine of southern England. [3/5]
Frank Lloyd Wleft – ‘Angels camp’: With the added influence of York-based Rowan and Friends, London’s Frank Lloyd Wleft exercises his penchant for socially-conscious folk efforts, existing somewhere on the spectrum between Woody Guthrie and Jonathan Richman, and culminating in a sound that feels equally adept at offering a breath of fresh country air as a slice of vulnerable social realism. [4/5]
Holy Motors – ‘Tough Crush’: We are well and truly into the dream pop months, so it is only fitting that Estonia’s Holy Motors return with their trademark brand of spaced-out shoegazey dream pop, plucked from the outer cosmos and brought to Earth by the incredible performances of Tallinn’s premier group. [3.5/5]
alphabet – ‘Sense’: A masterful single from up-and-coming London shoegazers, which speaks of a craft and quality far beyond their years and forms a definite highlight of their discography thus far, drawing upon post-punk, old-school new wave, and the shoegaze influences that have made their live performances so sought after. [4.5/5]
Off the Beaten Track: Left-field Sounds:
Ibukun Sunday – ‘Amen’: Befitting of its title, this latest effort from the London-based Nigerian composer feels almost like a religious experience, albeit a rather experimental one, evoking the sounds of grand religious halls, faith, and choirs, simultaneously to its roots in West African music and tradition. [4/5]
Joseph – ‘Three O’Clock in the Morning’: The first track to be taken from the upcoming Mr Bongo compilation, Coconut Dreams, Joseph’s genre-defying odyssey spans the spectrum from soft rock to bossa nova, folk to jazz, and everything in between, acting as a rather good encapsulation of the diversity inherent in Mr Bongo’s releases. If this single is anything to go by, then the full compilation is a must-listen. [4.5/5]
Annamaria d’Almeida – ‘Move Me Right’: Another celebration of old-school Latin soul and American R&B from London’s Original Gravity label, Annamaria d’Almeida’s distinctive voice could have been lifted straight from the golden airwaves of the 1960s, and Neil Anderson’s songwriting feels utterly timeless; the kind of groove that defies time itself. [4/5]
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